• Home
• Practice Schedule
• Meet Schedule
• Directions
• Results
• Links
• Coaches

Swimming 101

SWIM LINGO:

Individual Medley (IM): An individual event in which athletes swim all four strokes: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle.

Freestyle Relay: Four swimmers each swim a leg swimming of the race freestyle.

Medley Relay: Four swimmers each swim a leg of the race each doing a different stroke-Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Freestyle.

Deck: The area around a swimming pool reserved for swimmer, coaches and judges.

DQ: Disqualified. A swimmer will be disqualified if he or she does not perform the start, stroke, turn or finish according to the league rules.

Heat: A division of an event used to cut the number of participants, when a single race to determine the winner would mean too many swimmers competing at the same time. An Exhibition Heat is when swimmers are swimming to establish a time for their event and no points are contributed to the team's score. Swimmers earn Exhibition or Participation ribbons.

A Live Heat is when swimmers are eligible to score points for their team if they place in the event. Swimmers with the most competitive times will swim live heats, unless a newer swimmer needs to establish a live time to be eligible to participate in Divisionals or other special meets.

Lane: The section of a pool, distinguished by lane lines, in which a swimmer is assigned to swim.

Two Hand Touch: A finish where the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously. A two hand touch is required for finishes and turns in Breaststroke and Butterfly.

Flip Turn: When a swimmer finishes one pool length and does a flip to turn him or herself around to swim another pool length in the other direction; used for freestyle and backstroke.

25: A “Twenty-five” is one length of the pool in either yards or meters.

50: A “Fifty” is two lengths of the pool in either yards or meters.

100: A “Hundred” is four lengths of the pool in either yards or meters.

For More Information: If you don't see what you're looking for here, check out this site

LEAGUES & MEET INFO:

Capital Area Swim League (CASL): is the league in which Spring Grove Swim Club participates in the summer. This league consists of twenty-four teams located in York, Adams and Cumberland Counties. Within this league there are four divisions containing six teams each: Division A though Division AAAA. Spring Grove is currently in Division AAA.

• Swim meets start at 8:30 am. Away meet arrival time is approximately 7:40 am, home meet arrival time is approximately 7:00 am. Unless otherwise noted.
• Swimmers must participate in at least 3 swim meets to be eligible for the Divisional meet. All Stars are only for those swimmers who qualify at the Divisional meet. Mid - Caps are only for those swimmers who qualify at the All - Star meet.
  

First Capital Swim League (FCSL): is the winter league that Spring Grove participates in with the following FCSL Teams: Dover Area Aquatic Club, Lion Aquatic Club, Seahorse Swim Team, Trojan Aquatic Club, Wildcat Swim Club. More information will be included about this league during the upcoming fall season.

Mid-Penn Swim League (MPSL): is the sister league to CASL for the summer season. This league consists of teams located in Dauphin, Lancaster and Lebanon Counties. The Mid-Penn Swim League and the Capital Area Swim League come together for the Championship Mid-Cap Swim meet in July.

Invitationals: Invitationals are special voluntary swim meets used as fund raisers for the host team. Spring Grove is invited to swim in a few Invitationals during both the summer and winter seasons. These meets generally offer special events or age groups that are not offered during a regular swim meet. Swimmers must pay a small fee for each event in which he or she chooses to swim. This money usually goes to the teams hosting or sponsoring the event. Times for these meets are registered with the league and can be used for ranking in other meets.

Divisionals: Divisionals is a qualifier meet for All-Stars. This meet takes place after all regular swim meets have taken place. All of the teams from one division will come together for one large swim meet. In this meet the goal for a swimmer is a fast time. The sixteen fastest times from all of the divisions in the league will qualify for the All-Star meet. Divisionals occurs in both the summer and winter seasons.

All-Stars: All-Stars is a championship meet for a league. Sixteen fastest times in each event from all of the Divisionals meets in the league compete. Medals are awarded for top finishers.

Mid-Cap Championship Meet: Mid-Cap Championship Meet also known as Super-Stars is a summer meet where the top swimmers from Mid-Penn League and Capital Area League race. The top 6 or 8 finishers in All-Stars from each league are invited to compete this swim meet.

USA Swimming: USA Swimming would be best described as “travel swimming.” It is an opportunity for individual swimmers to gain more experience and compete on national and international levels. USA Swimming is the same organization that hosts events for Michael Phelps and Dana Torres and every other professional United States swimmer. For more info: www.usaswimming.org

PRACTICE SCHEDULES & GENERAL INFO:

Practices are held Monday through Friday at the Spring Grove High School Natatorium. Practice times are scheduled by age group (10 and under) and (11 and up), and swimmers can choose the days that work best for them each week. Swimmers are expected to attend practice at least 3 days a week, and those who are committed to attending practice and working hard, will make the most out of their swim season. Swimmers are encouraged to focus on self-improvement and being a good sport and positive member of the team. Practice schedules will be distributed to swimmers at registration. Changes in the schedule will be announced on the web site and also provided to swimmers in their folder.

Practice Rules:

• Please DO NOT drop off your swimmer and drive away. Accompany your swimmer to the pool to verify that coaches are there and practice was not cancelled for some reason.
• Please arrive at practice no earlier than 10 minutes before the scheduled practice time and be on time to pick up your swimmer. Swimmers are not allowed to roam the school unsupervised and should wait in the pool area or in the hallway to the pool entrance for their ride.
• Swimmers will be assigned to a lane with other swimmers for practice and are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship including courtesy and respect.

Attendance and Mail: Each swimmer will be responsible for signing the attendance sheet before practice. This sign-in is mandatory and essential for safety purposes. Swimmers are also responsible for checking their mail folders after each practice. Folders are located in the file boxes which are placed on the benches by the office. Information on meets, concessions, photos and other important forms will be placed in the folders. Order forms, meet commitment sheets and other information that must be turned in by swimmers, can be placed in the file folder for the specified coach or board member.

Team Swim Suits: Team swim suits orders and fittings will be announced--keep checking your folders. Team suits are offered at discount rates and are encouraged, but not required. Spring Grove Swim Caps will also be available for purchase.

Parent Participation: Parents are expected to volunteer their time and play an active role in the club, including swim meets. There are many roles that need to be filled, especially for home meets: Pool set-up, Timers, Swim Line-Up, Ribbons, Runners, Hallway Monitors, Announcements, Concessions and more. Families will be asked to contribute donations for home concessions: sign-ups are hung in the hallway of the entrance to the pool. The club cannot function without full support of parent volunteers. If you are unsure how to help, please ask and we will show you what needs to be done. Mandatory parent meetings will be held on a regular basis. Please check the web site regularly for meeting announcements.

THE SWIM MEET:

Day of the Meet: If you find your child can not swim due to illness or another emergency please call one of the coaches.

Swimmers Should Bring: Goggles, cap with last name clearly marked on the outside, 3-4 towels, blanket to sit on, dry clothes to put on between events and another set to go home in, healthy snacks and water and items to pass the time such as games, coloring books, or cards.

Spectators should bring: Lawn chairs, a pen or highlighter to use on line-up sheets, cash for concessions if you plan on utilizing it.

Warm Ups: Times can start as early as 7:15. Please get a good night’s sleep. Warm-ups for away meets generally the coaches will call the entire team to the pool to get some laps and starts in. For home meets the older swimmers may warm up separate from the younger swimmers.

Arrival Time: Swimmers should be at the host pool fifteen minutes prior to warm up times. Swimmers need to check in with a coach who will then direct the parent or swimmer to a line up sheet posted on a wall that will identify all the events that the swimmer will be swimming.

Line Up Sheets: The sheets that you will receive are NOT the final sheet. Lanes and heats often change. Please use line-up sheets for event purposes only. Be sure to check the relay events as well. Notify a coach immediately if your swimmer cannot swim in a relay that he or she is assigned due to having to leave the meet before it is over.

Writing On Your Kid? Some parents will write the event number and stroke on their kid’s hand or arm in ink to remind them of their events that they are swimming for that meet. If you choose to do so, please only write the event number and event (ex. 19 25 free). Writing the heat and the lane would only confuse and even upset your swimmer as these items are likely to change.

Parent Volunteers: A parent that has been assigned to a particular gender and age group to organize swimmers for their events and get them to their blocks. These parents have the official Line-Up sheets therefore the lane assignments and heats are the correct and final assignments.

Timers: Each team must supply a set of volunteers that will time each event in each lane. Usually 14-16 are required per meet. All parents should be expected to time during the season. Stop watches and instructions will be given prior to the start of the meet.

Heats: Some events have more swimmers than blocks. When that it the case another heat is added. These extra heats are exhibition only. In regular meets only the first heat of the event counts for points for the team and place for the individual.

Sportsmanship and Team Spirit: Swimmers are part of a team and should encourage and cheer for their team mates. Swimmers should also respect the other team's swimmers and should remain in the lane upon completion of the swim until all swimmers are finished. Swimmers should extend their hand to offer a handshake and a "good job" to comnpetitors in the lanes beside them.

The Meet: The entire team shows up for the meet at the same time. Events are scheduled in a specific order by age and stroke and/or length. The event order is the same for the season however the summer season events differ from the winter season events. Typically the youngest boys swim an event first (8&U boys) followed by the youngest girls (8&U girls). Next would be the 10&U boys followed by the 10&U girls. This would continue for a given stroke. Once the 15&Over swim, the stroke will change and start again with the 8&U’s. Not all age groups swim all events. The line up sheet that you will get the day of the meet will let you know the order of events and when your child is swimming. Please note that a child’s swim level for practice does not come into play for the day in the meet. All levels will race each other within the same age group. A swimmers age group is determined by their age as of December 1st for the winter season or June 1st for the summer season.

Awards: Place ribbons are given to the officiatl heat for 1st-6th place or 1st -8th place depending on the pool. All other swimmers usually receive participatory ribbons depending on the host swim club. These ribbons will be placed in swimmers' folders during the first practice after the meet. An awards banquet will be held at the end of the season.

Leaving a Meet: Swimmers are expected to remain with their team until the end of the last event. Please be sure to double-check with a coach or team parent before leaving the swim meet early. It is possible that a swimmer may have been reassigned into an end-of-the-meet relay at the last minute due to a swimmer either not showing or leaving early unexpectedly.